Restaurant Review: Chong's Noodle House

While driving in downtown Winona recently, I saw a restaurant I had never heard of. Winona isn't that big of a town, surely I have heard of ever restaurant they have to offer. Turns out, I just never wandered that far west of Huff Street.

Chong's Noodle House, located at 578 E. 4th St., was a delightful surprise. Even though my friend and I arrived 15 minutes before closing time, we were greeted warmly and welcomed. Our food was brought out very quickly, and piping hot.

Jessica ordered the noodle salad, and she said it was great. Cold noodles, shredded carrot, and chicken were tossed together, and topped with sliced egg rolls. The cold noodles mixed with the hot egg roll was a nice contrast, and the carrots added a nice bit of sweetness, Jessica said.

The pad thai I ordered may be what was missing in my life. I haven't been able to find good pad thai outside of the Twin Cities, but I found it here. For those of you who aren't familiar with pad thai, it is a stir fry dish with rice noodles, tofu, fish sauce, sprouts, and red chili pepper. It is often garnished with peanuts, and can contain a variety of other meats. The pad thai at Chong's contained tofu, chicken, and shrimp, three of my favorite foods. It was so good, words are currently failing me, and I may be drooling a little bit on my keyboard.

So why is Chong's Noodle House a good choice for Broke Foodies? Because it's broke people-friendly. Jessica's noodle salad was under $7, and my pad thai was $7. This meal could easily have been $30 anywhere else, but we made it under $18, including tip. This would be a great date place for someone who is struggling with cash, but still wants to impress.

It's not often that while walking to the car after dinner, I'm still raving about my food. It's not often that later that night, I'm still talking about my pad thai. And it's not often that I can afford to eat out, and still be impressed. I strongly recommend Chong's Noodle House to my fellow Broke Foodies in the Winona area.

Squash Loaf: Tastes Better Than It Sounds

Recently, a friend's mother made something for dinner that I thought sounded like the worst idea in the world: meatloaf inside a squash.

I like meatloaf. I like squash. Together, it can only go wrong.

But it went oh so right. It was spicy, hearty, and oh so delicious.

I know a lot of gardeners are drowning under zucchini and squash right now. This is a great way to use some of them up. This would also be a great way to get kids to eat their veggies. Since the recipe also uses salsa, you could use more fresh veggies from your garden. This is by far enough to feed four people.

Squash Loaf

1 medium sized squash or zucchini
1 lb hamburger
breadcrumbs
1 egg
seasoning
salsa

Start by cutting the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and hollow it out a little bit so that there is room for the meatloaf.
Mix the hamburger, egg, enough breadcrumbs to achieve the texture you want, and any seasonings you wish to have.
Put the meatloaf mixture inside the squash. Pour salsa over the meatloaf and squash. I didn't include a measurement for the salsa because the amount is going to be different for everyone.
Bake at 375 for about one hour or until the meatloaf is fully cooked and the squash is tender.

I encourage you to try this recipe out. I was hesitant to try it at first, but then the smell wafted in from the kitchen, and I was in love. I had two servings, and may or may not have contemplated a third.

Hug Me, Squeeze Me, Make Me Wine!

I've only been 21 for six months, and in this short amount of time I have learned absolutely nothing about alcohol. I don't drink very often, and I don't really like the taste. So when I do drink, I don't like to taste it.

In the interest of becoming a more well-rounded person, I tried a couple of kinds of wine this weekend. Both were under $15.00, and both were pretty good for someone who doesn't like the taste of wine all that much. I pretty much chose them for the bottle design.

The first bottle was called Polka Dot, a Riesling. It was sweet, not to overpowering, and quite nice. It didn't taste like vinegar or anything like that, just sweet. And best of all, not a strong alcohol flavor.

The second bottle was called Fat Bastard, and was a rosé. It was also sweet, but had a more fruity flavor. It was savored after dinner, and was very good with dessert.

Ok, so how is that for me pretending to be a wine critic? I don't know anything about it, but these were just my observations. For under $25, four people enjoyed wine for the whole evening.

Here is the website for Fat Bastard Wines, and unfortunately I was unable to find a website for Polka Dot. Hope everyone enjoys their cheap wine choices as much as I did!

I Like Tacos...A Lot.

What's not to like about tacos? They're spicy, they're easy, and they're muy delicioso! But my favorite part about tacos? They're cheap, and you can live off of them for a few days or feed a crowd.

A family friend, Lori, suggested a recipe for Taco Soup. Right now I'm going mostly on suggestion because I'm having some trouble getting my mojo working for food. I've been pretty busy, school started two weeks ago and I'm going to start a new job soon. Hopefully I'll be up and running and channeling my inner Julia Child.

Taco Soup

2 lbs hamburger
1 chopped onion
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 can Rotelle tomatoes and chilies
1 can kidney beans
1 can chili beans
1 can corn
1 packet ranch dressing mix
tortilla chips
shredded cheese

Brown the hamburger and the onion until all the pink is gone. Add the rest of the ingredients (except chips and cheese) and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over crushed chips and sprinkle with cheese. Add raw onion or pepper on top for more heat.

This recipe makes a large amount, perfect for a party or freezing some.

PS: Follow me on Twitter! You get absolutely nothing out of it, but hey, it doesn't hurt anything.

Hot Potato!

There are as many recipes using potatoes as there are fish in the sea. Baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, etc. A friend of mine, Anna, emailed me a great new recipe using potatoes and wasabi, and it is worth trying.

Wasabi is also known as Japanese horseradish. It is a relative of cabbage, and the root of the plant is ground into a paste. It is commonly served with sushi.

"I really like the brand Simply Potatoes. They have a variety of potato products in the form of hash browns, diced potatoes, sliced potatoes... And they are all natural with no added oils," Anna says. "I really like the sliced ones the best, as they make in of a nice finger food and 'chip' like after they are cooked."

Anna recommends sprinkling the potatoes with wasabi powder or using the paste as a dip.

I found a tube of wasabi paste for $1.98 at the local grocery store, and it should last me for a long time. It needs to be refrigerated after opening, but otherwise has no special instructions.

My mom dropped off a bag of vegetables this weekend, and she included some Yukon Gold potatoes. I really like these potatoes. They are really creamy when used for mashed potatoes, but don't stand up well to grilling.

Below is the recipe I used to make Wasabi Wedges. They turned out really well, and my sister-in-law was nice enough to taste test with me. She said that the wedges "were spicy, but not too overwhelming." I thought they were a nice take on normal potato wedges.

Wasabi Wedges

1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp wasabi paste or 1 T wasabi powder

Preheat the oven to 450. Cut the potatoes into quarters, or eighths for larger potatoes. Put the wedges into a large bowl. Next, combine the oil and the wasabi with a whisk. Pour over the potatoes and toss to coat.
Spread potatoes on a baking sheet with sides, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Below are a few links about the health benefits of wasabi. Feel free to test this recipe and let me know what you think!

The Phenomenal Health Benefits of Wasabi
Five Spices with Health Benefits
Wasabi isn't only tasty. It's good for you!
Hot and Healthy Wasabi